By leeching the lifeblood from the landscape, supernatural monsters are turning verdant scenery into dull, colourless wastelands. The sun god Amaterasu has taken on the earthly form of a wolf to halt and reverse the spread of this growing evil. As a deity, Amaterasu draws strength from his peoples' belief, gaining devotion by restoring colour to the land and fulfilling their wishes.

As Amaterasu, you will need to earn 13 special powers from other deities to defeat the Orochi. Fight with standard bite and ram attacks, utilise the mysterious bronze mirror of Yata, and master the art of the 'celestial brush' to literally daub shapes on the landscape that will cut through obstacles, strike down foes, create powerful winds, clear pathways, and bring dying flora back to colourful life.

Assume the role of a wolf, the embodiment of sun god Amaterasu, and return life and colour to a bleak and desolate world overun by evil

Use Amaterasu's Celestial Brush techniques to harness the power of wind, water and fire, create bombs, slash enemies, restore items and even turn day into night

A truly unique and beautiful title due for release this winter

Barking up the right tree

Capcom's long-awaited adventure Okami is finally here - and it more than lives up to expectations.

Okami has been a long time in the making. First shown in April 2004, it's taken nearly three years for this gorgeous-looking adventure to arrive on the shelves of your local game store, but finally the wait is over - and happily, it was all worth it.

Based on a traditional Japanese brush painting art style, Okami's unique graphical look ensures that the game looks like no other. Pretty in still screens, it's an absolute stunner in motion, with vivid colour, glorious animation and nimble brush strokes all conspiring to create one of the most spectacular environments ever realised on PlayStation 2. The artistic look is complemented by some excellent music, too, that again draws on Japanese traditions to create a truly atmospheric game.

A brush with fate

The gameplay in Okami matches the high standard set by the presentation. You play as Amaterasu Omikami - a Japanese sun god whose spirit embodies a striking white wolf, charged with the task of restoring the land of Nippon to its natural splendour.

Via an opening cutscene, you learn that an eight-headed demon by the name of Orochi has escaped its imprisonment and allowed evil to spread unhindered throughout the land. And so begins an adventure that fully justifies the term 'epic'.

There's simply so much to see and do in Okami, it would be unfair to spoil too many of the game's wonderful moments here. But it's safe to say that many of those moments come from the game's wonderfully inventive 'Celestial Brush', a technique that allows you to paint directly onto the screen to create amazing (and beautiful) effects in the game world.

As the game progresses, you learn more painting techniques that can be used to help you in your quest. For example, it's possible to strike enemies in combat by daubing slashes across them when they're vulnerable; or bring a dying tree back to life in an instant flourishing of gorgeous blossom. It suits the game's visuals perfectly, and is an intriguing idea that really helps to involve you in Okami's world.

A classic in wolf's clothing

It's a world you'll be spending a lot of time in, too. With multiple skills to learn and develop, satisfying combat, sub-quests by the dozen and a main adventure that continues to delight at every turn, Okami is a true classic. This is one wolf you won't want to keep from your door.